I have known lots of people who do that
Why? Where does this come from?
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Thu 1 Jul 2010, 12:58, 2 replies)

it comes from the people who smoked before you
and is apparently lucky. you know how it is, you take up something after someone else and see that they do something so you copy it, or because they say it is lucky. They got it from someone else in a similar way.

one of those stupid things that loads of people do for no reason. I always made a point of not doing it and would turn other peoples single upside down cigarette the right way up
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 1 Jul 2010, 13:00, closed)

Yeah - I used to turn all the cigarettes upside down of anyone who didn't do it.

( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Thu 1 Jul 2010, 13:01, closed)

It's a "Lucky" cigarette, and originates from the First World War.
Cigarettes only came in packs of 10 then, and you'd open a pack, turn one upside down and smoke it last, because if you lived long enough to do so, you were lucky.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Thu 1 Jul 2010, 13:00, closed)

some died of lung cancer mid pack :(

(waxdart hello., Thu 1 Jul 2010, 13:31, closed)

How is the upside down one more lucky?
Surely if you buy a pack of ten, and smoke 9, the remaining one is 'lucky'
I appreciate entertainment could be pretty limited in teh Wartime, but still...
(Rogerthepussy, Thu 1 Jul 2010, 13:35, closed)

No - you were lucky if you lived long enough to smoke the tenth.
The cigarette wasn't lucky - you were lucky to live that long.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Fri 2 Jul 2010, 13:28, closed)